text:
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Stephen Drew is the new Red Sox shortstop. And the most important thing you need to know is that he is not J.D.
This is the way it always goes with brothers. Good and bad.
Vince DiMaggio had to live with, "I'm not Joe,'' just as Billy Bulger has to live with, "I'm not Whitey." Stephen Drew comes to Fenway Park this year with the added burden of reminding us, "I'm not J.D.''
Not that J.D. was all bad . . .
J.D. came to the Red Sox in 2007 and played five seasons at Fenway. He usually made it on the field for about 135 games a year (140, 109, 137, 139, and 81), hitting around .270 with 18 homers and 66 RBIs. But fans never warmed to Drew.
There was the appearance that he didn't care. He seemed to sit with a lot of little injuries. He never got into an argument with umpires and never threw his helmet or kicked dirt. Manny Ramirez never felt the need to slap J.D. across the face in the dugout.
J.D.'s playoff grand slam against the Indians in 2007 was his signature moment with the Sox, but my favorite J.D. story involved the night he got rung up on a borderline check swing in Tampa while facing David Price. The punchout killed the Sox' World Series bid in 2008. J.D. didn't argue. When we saw him the following spring, he said he never checked the replay. Truly amazing.
Oh, and did I mention that J.D. was paid $70 million for his five Fenway seasons? That bothered some people.
Now we have the kid brother playing shortstop for the Red Sox. Wearing No. 7, same as J.D. (if the Sox still have unsold No. 7 "Drew" jerseys, they can put them back on the racks).
Stephen Drew is eight years younger than J.D. He will be paid $9.5 million this season after a year in which he hit .223 with 7 homers and 28 RBIs in 79 games for Oakland and Arizona — a year in which he was slow getting on the field because of a gruesome broken ankle sustained in the middle of the 2011 season when he played for the Diamondbacks.
Yikes. Overpaid. Underperformer. Too often on the shelf. Are you sure it's not J.D.?
Count me as one who is fascinated by the Drew family. David and Libby Drew raised three boys in southern Georgia, and all grew up to be first-round draft picks who made it to the majors. Middle brother Tim was a righthanded pitcher who competed in parts of five big league seasons with the Indians, Expos, and Braves.
"There was a lot of football where we grew up,'' J.D. Drew said. "I didn't like all that equipment and those hot practices. Baseball seemed better.''
Three boys. Three first-round picks. Three big leaguers. Three Scott Boras clients. Two Red Sox starters.
How does this happen?
"By God,'' said Stephen Drew. "Ours is a football town. South Georgia is known for football and playing football, but looking back, it really is by God's grace that we had three brothers coming through, from a small town.
"You always hear about two brothers making it. To have three brothers going in the first round, I can't explain it. It's crazy.''
The Drews grew up in Hahira, Ga., a town of fewer than 2,500 people. There's an annual banjo-picking festival in Hahira.
Dad Drew built yachts for a boat company for 26 years. Mom Drew's family were farmers (tobacco, peanuts, corn, soybeans), and J.D. remembers driving a tractor when he was 9 years old.
Young Stephen remembers playing baseball. He had two older brothers throwing him 80-mile-per-hour batting practice. No wonder he grew up to be a big leaguer.
"For me it was great, because J.D. was a really good role model to look up to,'' said the Sox shortstop. "He had a lot of talent.
"With his low-key demeanor and going about his business, he's nothing fancy, but when you look around and kind of watch him and see how he goes about his business, for me to have that and to look up to, it's kind of priceless.
"I knew when I was getting into this game and when I was called up, I knew how things were run. It felt normal. Some people have to search and figure it out. Not me, it was totally different.
"I could relate to him. I understood what was going on. A lot of people didn't understand. It's kind of tough. He's getting criticized and you know what the actual truth is going on.
"It kind of gets you fired up, but that's life. And you look at J.D. and he handled himself well.
"We grew up in a church home and understand there's more to life than what's here. You treat people like you'd like to be treated. It's the golden rule that you hear, and our parents instilled that in us.
"That, and go out and work hard. That's what you see. J.D. was quiet. I'm a little more talkative. But we just go about our business kind of the same way. We both like to have fun.''
Does J.D. ever get mad?
"Yeah, he gets mad,'' said Stephen. "Everybody gets mad. But he is very good at being deceptive on that. You've got kids around the field and stuff and you want to do a good job setting an example on that and he did a good job. He was even keel the whole way.''
None of the Drew brothers has ever been ejected from a game.
"There's more to life than just baseball,'' said Stephen. "That's how we look at it.''
Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at email@example.com.


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Very interesting angle!Jost0
hierarchy in biology and in individuality(ego)
is a n important part of nature and growth
Re Peterson on hierarchies...
Imitation (mirroring) is the sincerest form of hierarchy (cultural).
Imitation (mirroring) is the sincerest form of childhood (personal).
Cultural hierarchy may be moving from mirroring across layers
of power to omni-networked mirroring based on raw popularity.
Young rocks
Like Fuller - he is more than a scientist.
He is a student of scientific architecture.
Here's Young in a surprisingly compact nut shell:
Young's work cannot be considered a theory in the strict scientific sense. It is larger than a theory; it is a model of reality that goes beyond science.
The potential value of such a worldview, paradigm or model for the scientific endeavor is heuristic: it suggests new avenues of inquiry. In this sense, Young's approach has been an inspiration to a generation of scholars working on the leading edge of conscioiusness exploration -- including Kenneth Pelletier, Stanislav Grof, Saul-Paul Sirag and Frank Barr.
As an anchor point for understanding Young's cosmology, we can begin with the formula for the volume of the Einstein-Eddington Universe, the boundary region of what physicists call the hypersphere. It is 2p2r3. This is also the formula for the volume of a torus (donut) with an infinitely small hole. It is in the torus topology that Young sees a possible answer to the philosophical problem of the individual (or part, or microcosm) versus the collective (or whole, or macrocosm). in a toroidal universe, a part can be seemingly separate and yet connected with the rest.
If we think of the fence in the diagram below as separating the inner from the outer, the torus provides a paradigm that permits us to see a monad as both separate from the rest of the universe by the fence-and still connected to everything else through the core. The core of the torus, with its infinitely small hole, is for Young a representation of inner consciousness.
Young points out that magnetic fields, vortices and tornados all have the toroidal form. The vortex is, in fact, the only manner in which a fluid can move on itself. Thus it is a very suitable shape for the universe to have. We must, however, bear in mind that the volume of the torus is three dimensional and is kin to the surface of the four-dimensional hypersphere of Einstein and Eddington.
Suppose you had to draw a map on the surface of a torus so that all of the bordering countries would be distinguished by differences in color. On an ordinary surface, say a plane or sphere, such a map would require no more than four colors. The sphere (4/3pr3) to Young is analogous to structure in the universe. Later we shall show how a "cycle of action" divides the sphere from the torus which is, in Young's scheme, analogous to universal process. It requires seven different colors to create a map on the surface of a torus. Therefore, Young reasoned, there might be seven stages to process just as there is a fourfold division to structure.
This inspiration is affirmed somewhat by ancient myths and cosmogonies. The Hindu, Zoroastrian, Japanese and Genesis creation myths all describe a seven-stage process. There are also seven rows to the periodic table of elements. Taking these cues, Young divided all of nature into seven stages of process or evolution. The diagram below illustrates the seven kingdoms of Young's "reflexive universe" arranged in an arc, on four levels according to their relative degrees of uncertainty:
This chart symbolizes the mythological descent of spirit into matter and the corresponding ascent of matter into spirit. The greatest amount of constraint and symmetry occurs in the molecules' crystalline structure. This kingdom is most subject to science's deterministic laws, and thus is most predictable. Both atoms and plants possess radial or two dimensional symmetry. They have two degrees of constraint and one degree of freedom, which constitutes their ability to store and release energy, within certain boundaries, without any specified prompting from without. Animals have bilateral symmetry along one dimension. Young believes that electrons and protons also possess symmetry along one dimension.
The experiments of Lee and Yang, who discovered that chirality, or "handedness," characterizes nuclear particle reactions, suggests this possibility. Young points out that "handedness" requires bilateral symmetry. Heisenberg's principle states that we are uncertain of the position and the momentum of the nuclear particle. Young states that this principle applies to the animal as well. Thus both nuclear particles and animals possess one degree of constraint and two degrees of freedom.
The first kingdom, which Young refers to as light (or action), and the seventh kingdom, of which humanity is a part, theoretically possess complete asymmetry and complete freedom. A photon released at a certain point could be anywhere within a radius of 186,000 miles a second later. Furthermore, since observation annihilates a photon, it cannot be predicted. Although light has no rest mass, when it is annihilated it can create electrons and protons which do have mass. It has no charge, yet the particles it creates do. In fact, for a pulse of light, time does not exist. Clocks stop at the speed of light. Thus mass, energy, and time are born when the photon condenses into a particle. This is the first step in the process that engenders the universe.
Young regards action as the primary constituent of the universe, and other measures such as force (including gravity), energy and even time as derived parts of a whole which manifests as action. He also introduces the notion of purpose or intention into his scheme. The principle of least action is that light always follows the precise path that gets it to its destination in the shortest possible time. Planck himself observed that this principle expresses, "an explicitly teleological character."
Thus the photons which constitute a ray of light behave like intelligent human beings: Out of all the possible curves they always select the one which will take them most quickly to their goal.
Leibnitz, who discovered this principle, believed himself to have found evidence for an ubiquitous higher reason ruling all of nature. This characterization of light is the one exception to the excluion of purpose from science. Purpose, associated with the quantum of action, becomes the keynote of Arthur Young's theory. He draws on a rich, although often discarded, tradition in science and philosophy.
...as Whitehead pointed out in his Function of Reason: "Scientists, animated by the purpose of proving they are purposeless, constitute an interesting subject for study."
Young points out that 2ph is the quantum of uncertainty. Thus we have a fundamental relationship between purpose and uncertainty, confirmed by the fact that h contains an angle, 2p, which according to Eddington (the physicist from whom Young derives the greatest inspiration), is a phase dimension. For Young, the 2p represents choice. Uncertainty then is not so much a limitation upon science as the positive introduction of purpose and choice and therefore free will.
Essentially then, a light pulse is a piece of uncertainty, and it is possible to account for the chain of effects that it can produce. If it is of a high frequency, it can become a nuclear particle, a proton, or an electron. Some uncertainty will become mass (or certainty). Another step combines nuclear particles into atoms with a further loss of uncertainty, followed by still more at the molecular stage. Nevertheless there still remains enough uncertainty and choice of timing (phase dimension 2p) in certain large molecules, within narrow temperature ranges, to extract energy from the environment and build organizations that emerge as life.
Referring to Young's "grid," one notices each of the seven kingdoms is divided into seven substages.
The turning point of the arc is the middle of the fourth substage of the molecular, or fourth, kingdom. The fifth substage of the molecular kingdom represents the non-functional (covalently bonded) polymers such as cellulose, celluloid, rayon, nylon, dacron, etc. Young maintains that the distinguishing properties of these polymers is that they grow, like cells, in chains or series of links. The growth of polymers reflects an ability to store order -- to drain energy from the environment. This is an example of negative entropy and a prelude to the living kingdoms which follow the turn of the arc.
This turn marks the beginning of consciousness in Young's theory -- although clearly not anthropomorphic consciousness. The amount of indeterminacy here is very small indeed, but it is such that it enables the molecule to use the laws of determinism to build more complex structures and processes with even greater freedom. The 90ø turn in the arc is a change in direction that symbolizes this freedom. Thus the uncertainty which is unconscious on the left side of the arc achieves ever greater degrees of voluntary control on the right side of the arc. Selfcontrol, as such, is generally not recognized in classical physics. But, as was shown in the astrology section, Young assigned to it the measure formula T3, the third derivative of position which is equivalent to the rate of change in acceleration.
A logically elegant feature in Young's scheme is the way basic characteristics of each of the seven kingdoms or stages (see the notated keywords on the grid) apply in an analagous fashion to the corresponding seven substages within each stage. Thus the chain polymers in the fifth substage of the molecular kingdom have the property of growth referred to above which is characteristic of the fifth or plant kingdom. Furthermore plants often consist of the polymers cellulose and lignin; so the fifth stage growth involves the fifth substage chemical. The ionic bonding in the second substage of the molecular kingdom is characterized by the binding potential of the sub-atomic particles of the second kingdom. And, in fact, these particles are actively involved in ionic bonding. A third example is the principle of mobility that manifests in the sixth substage of the molecular kingdom, via the stretching proteins -- actin and myosm, as well as in the sixth kingdom of animals. Actin and myosin are involved in the muscular movements of animals. Numerous examples are evident throughout the grid.
One of the major characteristics of the fifth substage of the animal kingdom is a hierarchical series of organs from the head to the tail, through a segmented structure. The earthworm is a typical example. This segmented organization occurs in the fifth substage of the molecular and plant kingdoms as well. In the sixth substages of these kingdoms, the structural property involves side chains attached to the main segmented structure. This is evidenced in protein amino and side chains, the branches of gymnosperms, and the jointed feelers and antennae of arthropods.
While recognizing the importance of DNA genetic material in the organization of intercellular structure, Young shares the doubt previously expressed that the DNA code can account for the hierarchy and diversity of organs. Furthermore he thinks animal instinct cannot be explained by DNA. To account for this type of extra-cellular organization, he postulates an organizing field. Young suggests that the corresponding organizing principle in the fifth substage of human beings (genus) is related to the awakened kundalini concept of the yogis.
. In fact, Beyond Science, is the name of a television series, produced by Arthur Bloch, based on the work of Arthur Young.
. Action has the measure formula Mass x Length2/Time and is always an integral multiple of h, Planck's constant (in MKS units, 6.63 x 10-34 Joule-seconds). The smallest whole unit of action is equivalent to h, which is the quantum. While energy is proportional to frequency, action is a constant of the proportion between energy and frequency (E=hv) and comes in wholes. Gravity, the strong force, and the weak force can all be expressed in terms of action.
. Max Planck, Scientific Autobiography and Other Papers, trans by Frank Gaynor. New York: Philosophical Library, 1949, p. 178. Quoted by Arthur Young in The Reflexive Universe, New York: Delacorte, 1975.
. Alfred North Whitehead, The Function of Reason. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1929. Quoted by Arthur Young in The Reflexive Universe.
. Arthur M. Young, The Reflexive Universe.

subset: commoncrawl


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text:
Participating Organization(s) |
National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
National Cancer Institute (NCI) |
Funding Opportunity Title |
Research on Ethical Issues in Biomedical, Social, and Behavioral Research (R03) |
Activity Code |
R03 Small Grant Program |
Announcement Type |
Reissue of PA-06-367 |
Related Notices
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number |
Companion FOA |
PA-11-180, R01 Research Project Grant |
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s) |
93.395, 93.172, 93.866, 93.273, 93.855, 93.856, 93.286, 93.865, 93.121, 93.279, 93.113, 93.242, 93.989 |
FOA Purpose |
The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support investigator-initiated Small Research Grant Award (R03) applications that propose to study high priority bioethical challenges and issues associated with the types of biomedical, social and behavioral research supported by the participating NIH Institutes/Centers. The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) joins this FOA as part of its efforts to promote research on the behavioral and social aspects of health and illness. However, only participating ICs will provide direct grant support under this FOA. |
Posted Date |
March 24, 2011 |
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) |
May 16, 2011 |
Letter of Intent Due Date |
Not Applicable |
Application Due Date(s) |
Standard dates apply , by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. |
AIDS Application Due Date(s) |
Standard dates apply by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. |
Scientific Merit Review |
Standard dates apply |
Advisory Council Review |
Standard dates apply |
Earliest Start Date(s) |
Standard dates apply |
Expiration Date |
(Extended to May 8, 2015 per NOT-OD-14-032), Originally May 8, 2014 |
Due Dates for E.O. 12372 |
Not Applicable |
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
This program announcement and two related announcements (R01, PA-11-180; R21, PA-11-181) comprise the fourth set in a series of consecutive FOAs published by NIH since 1999 to encourage research on ethical issues related to the conduct of biomedical, social and behavioral research within the NIH mission. The prior FOA's in this series focused specifically on ethical issues related to the conduct of human subjects research. This set of announcements broadens that focus to include ethical issues related to new and emerging biomedical technologies.
With continuing advances in biomedical, social, and behavioral sciences and technologies and the diversification and expansion of research settings and subjects, researchers face evolving bioethical challenges related to the conduct of research, the management of related data and information, and the application of findings. For example, the NIH has a vested interest in promoting research at the cutting edge of science and technology which has potential benefits, yet risks may be unknown and ethical guidance may be lacking. Research is needed to anticipate the evolution of bioethical issues, to ensure NIH supported research is conducted in the most ethical manner possible, and to inform policy discussions that may emerge from NIH-supported research.
The NIH is in the process of developing an agency-wide strategic plan for bioethics research and training which will be used to formulate future funding opportunity announcements and guide investments over the next five to ten years. As part of the planning process, NIH is assessing priority areas for the support of bioethics research. Future issuances of this FOA may include changes to reflect the outcomes of this assessment.
Research Objectives:
This FOA seeks applications for research projects that propose to analyze and address ethical challenges and issues related to the conduct and output of biomedical, clinical, social and behavioral research within the NIH mission. The results of projects funded under this program announcement should enhance the ethical conduct and social value of research within the NIH mission, optimize the protection of human research participants, ensure research burdens and benefits are equitably distributed across populations, and contribute to policy development regarding the implementation and oversight of new research discoveries and methods.
Proposals to conduct empirical research as well as those that propose to develop new theoretical and conceptual ethical frameworks will be considered. Interdisciplinary and collaborative projects utilizing multiple approaches are strongly encouraged.
Areas of Interest:
Applications should address bioethical challenges and ethical issues relevant to the research mission area(s) of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs). The participating ICs have identified specific bioethics topics below as the highest priority for consideration. These are organized into seven categories: 1) ethical considerations of new and emerging technologies; 2) research study design issues; 3) issues associated with therapeutic misconception and the interface between treatment and research; 4) research involving vulnerable populations and urgent situations; 5) research with existing specimens, data, and health information; 6) dissemination and translation of research findings; and 7) oversight of research. In addition, a description of the research mission areas of the participating ICs is also provided below. Applications that address other bioethical issues directly related to these mission areas will also be considered.
1) Ethical Considerations of New and Emerging Biomedical Technologies
2) Research Study Design Issues (including community engagement; equity in selecting and recruiting study populations; general informed consent issues).
NIAID: Research on healthy control study participants such as:
3) Therapeutic Misconception and Interface of Treatment and Research (including overlap of clinical and research data; providing clinical care in the context of research).
4) Research that involves vulnerable populations (including research in developing countries; disadvantaged and underserved populations; populations with unique challenges to health and well-being), or research in urgent situations (such as emergency research).
5) Research with Specimens, Data, and/or Health Information (including specimen/data sharing; privacy and confidentiality issues; biobanking).
6) Dissemination and Translation of Research Findings (including return of research results; data ownership).
7) Research Oversight (including IRBs; data and safety monitoring; conflict of interest management).
In addition to the high priority topics noted above, applications that address ethical issues which are directly related to the specific research missions of the participating NIH ICs will also be considered. A brief description of these missions is provided here.
NCI: The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients.
NHGRI: The National Human Genome Research Institute is devoted to advancing health through genome research. Building on the foundation laid by the sequencing of the human genome, NHGRI's work now encompasses a broad range of research aimed at expanding understanding of the structure and function of the human genome and its role in health and disease. In addition, a critical part of NHGRI's mission continues to be the study of the ethical, legal and social implications of genome research.
NIA: The National Institute on Aging leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. NIA provides leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people and is the primary Federal agency that supports Alzheimer s disease research.
NIAAA: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism conducts and supports research to improve the treatment and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems to reduce the health, social, and economic consequences of this disease.
NIAID: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. Areas of particular interest include prevention, therapeutics, diagnostics, and countermeasures for infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases both in the US and internationally.
NIBIB: The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering improves health by promoting fundamental discoveries, design, development, translation, and assessment of technological capabilities in biomedical imaging and bioengineering.
NICHD: The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development conducts and supports research on fertility, pregnancy, growth, development and medical rehabilitation to ensure that each child is born healthy and wanted, that women suffer no harmful effects from the reproductive process, that all children have the chance to fulfill their potential to live healthy and productive lives free from disease or disability, and to ensure the health, productivity, independence, and well-being of all people through optimal rehabilitation.
NIDCR: The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research provides leadership for a national research program to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious and inherited craniofacial-oral-dental diseases and disorders.
NIDA: The National Institute on Drug Abuse leads the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction through support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines and rapid and effective dissemination of results of that research to improve drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment, and policy.
NIEHS: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reduces the burden of human illness and dysfunction from environmental causes by defining how environmental exposures, genetic susceptibility, and age interact to affect an individual's health.
NIMH: The mission of the National Institute of Mental Health is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.
FIC: The John E Fogarty International Center promotes and supports research and training internationally to reduce disparities in global health. FIC is especially interested in research topics directly related to ethical issues in conducting research in developing countries and public health ethics.
Funding Instrument |
Grant |
Application Types Allowed |
New The OER Glossary and the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide provide details on these application types. |
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards |
The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations, and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. |
Award Budget |
A project period of up to two years and a budget for direct costs of up to $50,000 per year may be requested (i.e., a maximum of $100,000 direct costs over two years). |
Award Project Period |
The scope of the proposed project should determine the project period. The maximum period is 2 years. |
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Higher Education Institutions:
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
For profit Organizations
Foreign (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are allowed..
Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations
as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply
for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the
following registrations.
All Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) must
also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA Commons
or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA Commons
account of the applicant organization.
All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant
organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at
least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Project Director/Principal
Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an
application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic
groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply
for NIH support.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple
Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key
Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.
NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. NIH will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. Resubmission applications may be submitted, according to the NIH Policy on Resubmission Applications from the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional. Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for application submission. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Resource Sharing Plan
Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Do not use the appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modifications:
Foreign (non-US) organizations must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign organizations described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.
Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.
All PD/PIs must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential
field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF 424(R&R)
Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a
valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful
submission of an electronic application to NIH.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the
application is the same number used in the organization's profile in the eRA
Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional
information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
See more
tips for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH. Applications that are incomplete will not be reviewed.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115..
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Not applicable
As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact/priority score.
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Select Agent Research
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text:
The LGBT Center was awarded a grant from the Tompkins County Health Department, Tobacco Control Coalition for a project on tobacco use prevention and cessation in Ithaca College LGBT students.
Research shows that rates of cigarette smoking among LGBT people are much higher than the general population, yet this subject is just beginning to receive attention.
The grant facilitated programming aimed at:
- Increasing knowledge of the health risks for LGBT tobacco users and non users.
- Increasing knowledge of ways tobacco companies target the LGBT community and create action plans to resist their tactics
- Promoting quitting and preventing initiation of tobacco use among LGBT students
Special events and services on this topic - ncluding workshops, Quit Kits, and film screenings - were provided during the grant periods, and continue to be offered periodically.
Related Videos-
Sever the Ties - a short film produced by Roswell Park Cancer Center's Task Force for Tobacco-Free Women & Girls (featuring the LGBT Center staff)
- Project SCUM
- Smoking Out a Deadly Threat - Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, by the American Lung Association
- Fact Sheet: Tobacco and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender communities
- Tobacco Free Maine info about LGBT people and tobacco
- Sexual orientation and tobacco use in a cohort study of US adolescent girls and boys
- National Cancer Institute LGBT communities tobacco use info
- National LGBT Tobacco Control Network


text:
Scott Silver
Review by Victoria Large
Posted on 26 June 2013
Source MGM DVD
Categories Failed Franchises
I didn't grow up with the TV version of The Mod Squad, but director Scott Silver's 1999 film based on the series really wasn't intended to appeal to the show's original audience. The film — as well as its soundtrack and its cross-promotional deal with Levi's jeans — were pitched to the well-under-thirty market, none of whom would have been old enough to comprehend the TV series during its initial run. Not unlike McG's Charlie's Angels movies, which were also based on an Aaron Spelling-produced TV show and were released not long after this film, The Mod Squad intended to use an old name to launch a new franchise. After all, the business of youth-oriented movies was booming in 1999, a year that saw the release of some of the most popular teen films of that decade, including Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That, and American Pie. Nevertheless, marketers couldn't persuade young audiences to ignore poor reviews and pony up their hard-earned cash to see The Mod Squad. Most teens held onto their allowances until it was time to see The Matrix, which was released five days later and went on to be the fifth highest-grossing film of the year. The Mod Squad didn't even crack the top 100.
The film stumbled for some predictable reasons: like many failed franchises, it severely underestimates its audience's interest in good storytelling and strong characterization. But it also neglects to include the kinds of bells and whistles that films like this one are usually keen to toss in the mix: fun villains, elaborate action sequences, and goofy one-liners. The Mod Squad is actually kind of glum. As a result, it's also pretty dull, which is among the greatest sins a film can commit. While many action franchises (including the financially successful ones) are loud and hyperactive to a fault, The Mod Squad disappoints by being more flaccid than anything else.
The plot, derived from the premise of the television show, finds young delinquents Julie, Linc, and Pete assisting the police with undercover operations in order to avoid jail time. While a group like that could get involved with any number of possible cases, the film opts for cookie cutter corrupt cops as villains. The bad guys on the force are moonlighting in drug trafficking and murder, which sadly isn't as interesting as it sounds. They also sometimes spout racist or sexist things just to remind us that they're terrible people. Perhaps most frustratingly, the villains are awful at covering their tracks. As Roger Ebert sharply notes in his review from the time of the film's release: "The main investigative technique in this movie consists of sneaking up on people and eavesdropping while they explain the entire plot and give away all the secrets."
The cast does their best with the material, and they seem much more carefully assembled than the film's storyline. Claire Danes is our Julie, a recovering alcoholic whose arc could have been the heart of the film if her characterization were more substantial. By the late nineties, Danes had already played iconic teen angst roles in TV's My So-Called Life and Baz Luhrmann's MTV-influenced adaptation Romeo + Juliet, but she has little to work with here. Omar Epps, who plays Linc, had also established himself by 1999, having starred in John Singleton's Higher Learning before getting memorably dispatched in Scream 2, but his character's origins are vague, and he's given little to do besides looking exasperated while Giovanni Ribisi nibbles the scenery as the aggressively quirky Peter Cochran. Ribisi is a fine actor who gives the film a bit of nervy energy as a disaffected rich boy given to gratuitously dancing on cars or barking like a dog, but even these brushstrokes feel too randomly applied.
The film has flashes of visual style, but seems unsure of how to best appeal to the kids, sometimes reaching for the overcast emotions associated with nineties alternative rock (we get a lot of scenes of characters brooding) and sometimes making half-hearted attempts at Scream-style self-awareness by having a character quote Lethal Weapon. There's a title card defining "mod" that seems like a glancing reference to the card defining "pulp" at the beginning of Pulp Fiction, but The Mod Squad also sees fit to inform us that a "squad" is "a small group of people working together," which is kind of silly and maybe a bit condescending.
Silver works in washed-out colors — the entire film actually looks Instagrammed — and occasionally mixes things up with an unusual close-up or VCR-inspired touches like rewinding or slowing down a particular dramatic moment. And actually, there are moments that look cool out of context, like Danes smashing a lipstick-smeared mirror or striding away from an exploding car without looking back. It's just that those nifty-looking touches don't feel as cathartic as they look. The best bits of The Mod Squad could sustain a reasonably amusing music video, but as it stands, the film feels much longer than its ninety-two minutes. Its final scene implies the possibility of a sequel, but by then we're more than ready to move on.
Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter
1974Doc Savage: Man of Bronze
1975Flash Gordon
1980The Legend of the Lone Ranger
1981The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!
1984Masters of the Universe
1987Howard the Duck
1988Dick Tracy
1990The Rocketeer
1991V.I. Warshawski
1991The Shadow
1998The Zero Effect
1998The Mod Squad
2003Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
2003John Carter
2012We don't do comments anymore, but you may contact us here or find us on Twitter or Facebook.


text:
Apple Vs. Samsung Lawsuit Full of Secret Combat
The biggest legal battle for the technology industry is playing out in a federal court in Silicon Valley, where Apple is trying to stop Samsung from selling Galaxy phones and tablets in the United States.
In the lawsuit, filed in April, Apple accuses Samsung of "slavishly" ripping off its designs for the iPad and iPhone. Although there is worldwide interest in the case, the proceedings have largely been shrouded behind a veil of secrecy: most of the court papers are sealed, meaning they can't be viewed by the public.
Filing documents under seal has become almost standard procedure in many intellectual-property cases -- like Apple versus Samsung -- as companies claim their trade secrets and confidential information could come out during litigation. Judges have surprisingly wide latitude in deciding what should be kept under wraps and what shouldn't.
Some courts, like the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where the case is being heard, have rules requiring that judges specifically sign off on every request to seal a document -- but these rules set no deadline.
In the Apple/Samsung case, some secrecy requests have languished for months while investors, academics and tech bloggers struggled to piece together whatever bits of information were available.
In every instance that she did issue a ruling on a sealing motion, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose granted the request. Just this week she approved six more motions to seal. Samsung's most crucial legal brief became available after months of delay -- and then only in redacted form.
The stakes here are high: Samsung had 23.8 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter, nine points higher than Apple. Yet Samsung's holiday sales could be jeopardized if Koh, who is expected to rule any day, grants Apple's motion to halt Samsung's sales of Galaxy.
Lack of transparency in the courts troubles many observers.
"For the judicial system as a whole, we want transparency so the public can have confidence in the judicial decision-making process," said Bernard Chao, a professor at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law. "When things aren't transparent, that view is undercut."
In an email Thursday, Koh declined a Reuters request for an interview on her sealing decisions in the Apple/Samsung case, or about her general policies. However, shortly after the inquiry from Reuters, Koh issued new guidelines governing sealed documents in her courtroom.
Koh's guidelines, posted on her official website, mandated that parties file a redacted, publicly available version of every document that they seek to seal -- at the same time they make the sealing request.
Koh and U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal, who oversees certain procedural motions in the case, are newcomers to the federal bench and were both previously intellectual property lawyers representing companies at large law firms. They have not only granted many of Apple and Samsung's sealing motions, in some cases, they've gone a step further.
During an October hearing on the proposed injunction, Koh, unprompted, asked Apple and Samsung if they wanted to seal the courtroom. When the lawyers said such a step wouldn't be necessary and that they would not mention confidential material during the hearing, Koh commented, "I guess if you all can be careful not to disclose anything that requires sealing, then we can still have that with the open public."
Representatives from Apple and Samsung did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Secrecy in the courts is an ongoing concern. The policy body of the federal courts recently reminded judges to limit broad sealing of cases, and interest groups such as Public Citizen and the American Civil Liberties Union frequently intervene in cases where major records are sealed.
For their part, investors look at briefs and filings to see what kind of effect a patent is having on the marketplace, professors study them for novel legal theories, and lawyers track them for developments in intellectual property law.
Like Koh, many federal judges routinely grant requests to seal documents. In the Eastern District of Texas, where the docket is always clogged with patent cases, lawyers don't even need permission from the judge to file documents under seal, said Michael Smith, an IP attorney who practices there.
"The court has made it as easy as they possibly can," Smith said.
Judges say it's a balancing act.
"It comes down to: 'how do you see the interplay between transparency and protecting the interests of the party,"' said U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel, director of the Federal Judicial Center, in an interview. "Transparency sounds so noble, so apple pie, but the interests of the parties are important, too."
The release of Samsung's redacted brief this week demonstrates some of the inconsistencies in what gets sealed, and why.
Previously, Koh had sealed a separate document because, according to Samsung, it contained "unreleased product launch dates, and information relating to Samsung's total number of employees, and the number of employees involved in the design and marketing of the products at issue."
Samsung said references to other confidentially-filed motions in the case justified its sealing, and Apple did not object.
But in the key Samsung brief released this week, even the redacted version revealed not only numbers of Samsung employees (more than 8,500 engaged in telecommunications research and development projects), but also the dollar amount of its research and development costs (over $35 billion for electronics product lines from 2005 to 2010).
When there isn't pushback from the parties, judges typically grant the parties' sealing requests without much scrutiny, said Chao, the University of Denver professor.
"I think at times they are just overwhelmed," Chao said.
Even contemplating closing a courtroom, as Koh did, shows an unusual level of accommodation to the parties, said Richard Marcus, a professor at University of California Hastings College of the Law, and can also erode trust in the courts.
"Locking the courthouse doors in a trial-like situation is extremely rare and requires exceptional circumstances," he said.
In fact, 50 miles from the Samsung/Apple battle, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco has taken the opposite tack in the monster IP fight between Oracle and Google over the Android operating system.
Since Oracle filed the case in August 2010, Alsup has rejected more than a half-dozen requests from the companies to keep material secret and issued a number of harsh warnings.
Among other documents, Alsup unsealed an email drafted by a Google engineer saying Google needed to negotiate a license for Java -- the programming language Oracle has accused Google of infringing.
Google investigated alternatives to Java for Android and concluded "they all suck," the email said. Alsup even read the email aloud during a July hearing. (Google has asked an appeals court to overturn the unsealing).
"The United States district court is a public institution, and the workings of litigation must be open to public view," Alsup wrote in an October order. Alsup declined to comment, as did an Oracle spokeswoman. Google representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
For David Sunshine, a New York lawyer who tracks technology cases for hedge fund investors, judges like Alsup who challenge companies on sealing requests make the job much easier. "I love those guys," Sunshine said. (Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Carlyn Kolker in New York; Editing by Amy Stevens, Eileen Daspin and Steve Orlosky)


text:
WASHINGTON — The 2001 vote in Congress to go to war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan has become obsolete in the face of new threats, and the law should be reconsidered, according to a politically diverse range of lawmakers, diplomats, and international legal experts.
The Authorization to Use Military Force, approved three days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, gave the president authority to "use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons" that "planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks."
But as antiterror operations expand in places such as Mali, Somalia, and Yemen, a rare bipartisan coalition is advocating that Congress apply a new set of checks on President Obama, who like President George W. Bush has used the 2001 law to justify drone attacks and other counterterrorism operations across the Islamic world.
The scope of the war on terrorism and the president's authority to wage it has come under new scrutiny in recent days. A Justice Department white paper, first reported last week by NBC News, asserted the president has the authority to order the targeted killing of American citizens believed to be senior operatives of Al Qaeda or an affiliated group. The position paper has been widely criticized by members of both parties and human rights groups who assert it violates the law.
"There is a growing gap between the threats posed by Islamist terrorist groups and the president's legal authority to meet the threats under the [Authorization to Use Military Force]," Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard law professor who served as top legal adviser in the Bush administration, recently wrote in a paper published by the conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
"Many of these groups . . . have no direct links to Al Qaeda and unclear ones to Al Qaeda affiliates."
Goldsmith believes that "a major challenge for the second-term Obama administration is whether and how to supplement or replace" the 2001 law.
On the other side of the political divide are voices such as Jane Harman of California, a Democrat and former representative who served on the Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees before resigning in 2011 to run the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think tank.
"When I voted for it I thought it was limited in time and place," Harman said in an interview. "It was the right thing to do to respond to the people who attacked us, primarily in Afghanistan. I don't think anyone who voted for it envisioned it would be in force 12 years later."
The growing skepticism was also on display at the confirmation hearing of John Brennan to be director of the CIA. Brennan, a top White House counterterrorism official the Obama and Bush administrations, faced a barrage of questions over the drone program and its legal justification.
"We only take such actions as a last resort, to save lives when there is no other alternative," he told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Meanwhile, Senator Bob Corker, a top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, told Yahoo! News that he has concerns about the legality of targeting suspected terrorist leaders, especially American citizens — a process that is almost entirely out of public view.
"Even the most hawkish American has to have some degree of concern," Corker said.
Liberal voices say the 2001 law is simply too open-ended and that more specific congressional guidelines are needed.
"It is time to revisit and get rid of it," said Zeke Johnson, director of the Security with Human Rights Campaign at Amnesty International. "The global war paradigm introduced by the Bush administration and carried over by the Obama administration treats the whole world as a battlefield."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment on whether it believes a new congressional vote to authorize the war on terrorism is needed.
But the Obama administration, like the Bush White House before it, has used the 2001 law to justify a growing number of counter-terrorism operations, from drone strikes to indefinite detentions of terrorism suspects — all while insisting it does not need congressional authorization in the first place to use military force.
The War Powers Resolution, passed in 1973, requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of launching military operations. The law, passed in the wake of the Vietnam war, also requires the president to seek a congressional authorization — or an outright declaration of war — if those forces are engaged beyond 60 days.
But the 1973 law has been labeled unconstitutional by successive presidents and for the most part has been ignored, though the Iraq wars in 1991 and 2003 were approved by Congress in votes that were seen as politically necessary.
But now there is growing concern that because the war on terrorism has changed so much, both in nature and geography, that Congress — which is designated by the Constitution the authority to declare war — should reevaluate the threat and the legal parameters of conflict.
A lengthy brief published by the left-leaning American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, a nonprofit that promotes "the vitality of the US Constitution and the values it expresses," last week called for a new legislative framework to replace the outdated 2001 legislation that authorized the use of military force.
"While a range of operations have been included under the umbrella of defeating core Al Qaeda, the group directly responsible for 9/11, it also covered operations directed at its affiliates and sympathizers that have only loose connections but no direct link to 9/11," P.J. Crowley, a retired Air Force colonel and former assistant secretary of state, wrote in the new paper. "An indefinite extension of the existing [congressional authorization] advances the prospect that the United States will be engaged in a state of indefinite war, with significant powers permanently in the hands of the executive branch."
Predicting that "homeland security, law enforcement, diplomacy, and the intelligence community will take on greater significance, with the military playing a supporting role," he wrote that a new congressional authorization "should require renewal periodically."
In an interview, Crowley said that "we've probably had the last war that has an official beginning and end. The challenge going forward is to keep a close eye on how conflicts affect populations overseas and how we keep our own population engaged."
But some worry that Congress, which is so divided on the issues, might make things worse.
"It is an open question whether Congress could actually come to agreement on a new legal framework given the incredible disparity of views within that body," said Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, who served as the State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism from 2009 to 2012.
"It is very hard for me to imagine those who want an untrammeled military acting around the world in essentially a global battles pace compromising with those who want to see a rigorous set of rules on these activities," said Benjamin, who now runs the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.
Harman, too, worries that America is engaged in an open-ended war with little congressional oversight but doubts that a "toxically partisan" Congress is up to the task of reining it in.
"The goal is not to enact a blank check or prevent counterterrorism policy, but create an improved and careful statute," she said.
"It is the right thing to do but given the difference between the parties I am not sure where it will lead."
Bryan Bender can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeBender


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Among the bills expected to be tackled by the Assembly and Senate are ones on gun control, environmental protection and health care. Most bills must pass out of their first chamber by Friday to have a chance of reaching the governor's desk by the Sept. 13 deadline.
The floor votes follow rapid-fire committee meetings late last week during which lawmakers advanced or killed hundreds of bills.
A number of gun-control bills await the Democratic supermajorities in both chambers. A legislative package in the Senate introduced in response to the mass shootings in Connecticut and Colorado would restrict the rapid reloading of weapons and prohibit possession by those who have committed various crimes.
Other bills awaiting action in the Assembly would track ammunition purchases and regulate gun storage.
Efforts to strengthen oversight of California oil drilling also will be under debate.
Several Assembly Democrats have sought a moratorium on a method known as hydraulic fracturing while its potential impacts are studied. Other lawmakers want to bolster water protections and increase disclosures of the chemicals used.
Senators are expected to consider changes to the California Environmental Quality Act. Critics of the landmark law, notably Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, say it has been improperly used to delay or block worthwhile projects. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, says his SB731 would streamline the law while protecting the environment.
On health care, pending legislation would make changes to Medi-Cal that would provide interpreters to patients who do not speak English and reverse reimbursement rate cuts for hospital-based nursing facilities.
A trio of bills from Democratic Sen. Ed Hernandez of West Covina - SB491, SB492 and SB493 - would expand services that can be provided by nurse practitioners, optometrists and pharmacists to address a looming shortage of primary care physicians, but the measures face heavy opposition from doctors.
Some Democrats are frustrated that bills to impose or increase taxes on oil drilling, sugary drinks, tobacco and ammunition are absent from the agenda. Those bills failed to advance from legislative committees, effectively halting them for the year.
Brown has been cool to additional tax increases after voters approved his Proposition 30 last fall to raise the statewide income and sales taxes. He says lawmakers instead should focus on spending that money appropriately before seeking additional revenue.
"The voters just gave us a mandate by giving us a two-thirds majority in both houses," said Sen. Noreen Evans, a Santa Rosa Democrat who authored SB241 to create an oil-production tax. "If this isn't the year, when is it?"
Republicans have criticized attempts to again raise taxes, calling on the majority party to focus on expanding California's economy.
"The good news for taxpayers is that some major taxes have stalled for now," Assembly Minority Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare, said in a statement. "The bad news is there are still a number of nickel and dime taxes on the table that can add up and have a major hit on people's wallets."
Among other bills awaiting floor votes this week:
- AB10 by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, would increase the minimum wage for the first time in six years. It would rise to $8.25 next year and to $9.25 by 2016.
- AB47 by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, would impose a fine of up to $2,000 and a year in jail for making false 911 calls known as "swatting." A related bill passed the Senate, 33-0.
- AB241 by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, would establish labor protections for domestic workers. Brown vetoed a similar bill last year.
- SB61 by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, would limit the use of solitary confinement at state and county juvenile correctional facilities. Young offenders could be isolated only if they are deemed to be an immediate threat and if other options aren't working, and then only for the minimum time necessary.
- SB209 by Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, would undo a court decision requiring thousands of Californians to pay retroactive income taxes on business investments.
- SB323 by Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, would deny state tax breaks to the Boy Scouts of America and other youth groups that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or religious affiliation. The scouts voted last week to allow gay scouts but to continue barring gays from becoming leaders.
- SB405 by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, would ban single-use plastic checkout bags in grocery, drug and convenience stores. More than 70 local governments already prohibit such bags.
- SB670 by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, would accelerate investigations by the Medical Board of California, particularly in cases in which patients have died from prescription drug overdoses. It also requires the board to restrict physicians' prescription privileges during the investigation.


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I have every intention of using this photograph again in a blog post about soup at Disney World. (Because I. Love. Soup.) But, for now, it's serving its purpose as your motivation to add this recipe to your dinner plans as soon as the Fall chill sets in!
The soup is so rich I could barely finish (but I persevered). You can find it at the Rose and Crown Dining Room in Epcot's World Showcase.
I'm finding two recipes on the internet, so I'll post both:
The most common version, which I'm finding in several locations; usually dated 2007:
3 pounds Idaho potatoes
3 cups onion, diced
3 cups leeks, diced
1 TB butter
1 quart heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bake the potatoes in a 375 degree oven for 50 minutes.
2. Saute onions and leeks in butter on low heat until clear.
3. Add heavy cream.
4. Once potatoes are done, scoop the center out with a spoon.
5. Once the heavy cream comes to a simmer, add the potatoes you scooped out.
6. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then pull off stove and puree the soup in a blender.
7. Next, strain through a fine mesh strainer. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Cook's Note: You must cool as soon as possible. If you cook the soup too long afte adding potatoes, the soup will come out brown.
From AllEars, dated 2008:
Makes 1 gallon, 16 8-ounce portions
6 potatoes
4 quartts heavy cream
1 onion, diced
2 bunches leeks, white parts only, cut up
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
Cut up potatoes and cover with water to keep from turning brown. Wash the leeks (white part only). In a heavy pot, melt the butter, then add onion and leeks. Cook 5-10 minutes. Add potatoes and cream, simmer until potatoes are soft. When potatoes are done, puree with hand blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


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Celebrating illustration, design, cartoon and comic art of the mid-20th century.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Robert G. Schneeberg: An unknown unknown
Cosmo AD, Robert C. Atherton, made a brilliant choice in assigning this story to Schneeberg. He could have called upon any one of his regular stable of illustrators, any of whom would have delivered a thoroughly professional interpretation of this story of "Mme Pineau's Three Screams".
But Atherton decided to go far off the beaten path - even for this daring AD.
Schneeberg's work, filled with quaint stylized buildings, people and animals, cars and houses that look like they were drawn for a children's story book, and homey decorative elements, is entirely unlike anything I've seen used to illustrate articles in Cosmo during this period. By choosing Schneeberg to illustrate a murder story, Robert Atherton lulls the viewer into a sense of cosy security.
He has us completely fooled...
Until we turn to the third spread...
And look closely at this unnerving detail.
That such a violent act is being portrayed in such a naive, child-like style makes the visual so much more disturbing than if any of Cosmo's more "literal" contributors had illustrated it.
Whatever became of Rober G. Schneeberg after this one assignment? The internet offers only this one clue: The Smithsonian American Art Museum has a Schneeberg in its collection. No image was available.
* Take a closer look at these images in my Robert G. Schneeberg Flickr set.
22 comments:
Best information about Robert G. Schneeberg's work. Professional Interpretation Company I also found a professional interpretation company in California.
ReplyDelete- firstname.lastname@example.com:36 AM
Robert G. Schneeberg is a favorite of mine! I own several of his Hallmark Keepsake ornaments and Springbok puzzles. These can often be found on eBay. He also did wall mural collages for the Halls store at Crown Center in Kansas City, MO in the mid-1970's.
I also own one of his original collages, "34. Letter 'S' Silver" created in 1976. I received it as a wedding present when I was married on July 4, 1976, the bicentennial. My new last name started with "S".
I plan to give it to my niece for her wedding in August, 2010. She is marrying a Pixar animator whose last name begins with "S".
My best to Mr. Schneeberg! There is a huge, incredibly elaborate assemblage at the Lawrence Journal World office (Lawrence, KS) that uses the old print supplies before things changed to electronic.
I've admired it for years and just asked for info - its Robert Schneeberg! They showed me a couple of old articles about him - one from a Hallmark newsletter, and a couple from the Journal World. He was ahead of his time in recycling and transforming old throw-away items into art, and preserving history as well.Robert Schneeberg created a great series of "Nostalgic Early American Scenes" for Hallmark in the 60s. I saved ours (1966-8) because the images are delightful and fun -- and because each month a tiny striped cat was hidden on the page. As a child I loved looking for the cats. Sometimes only a tail was visible.
ReplyDeleteWhile living in Kansas City I took my Brownie Troop on an outing to Hallmark Cards.. As part of the tour, the mosaic murals, of which they were very proud, were pointed out as being done by the famous New York artist, Robert Schneeberg. Out of my mouth popped, oh my heavens...."He was my brother's counsellor at camp". What a delightful moment for me.... My brother was so pleased to hear the story as he remembered him as being a wonderful and inspirational counsellor.
ReplyDeleteJust found a calendar full of his collage work (in print form) produced by Hallmark in 1967. I picked it up at an estate sale in Portland, OR--for sale now in my resale vintage shop: (http://forrestinavintage.etsy.com)
I found your blog via a search for more info on Schneeberg--thanks for the post.i used to work with Bob at Hallmark about a light year ago. i would love to reconnect with him if anyone can hook me up. He might go "Oh no, not THAT guy!" i'm kidding. i miss the old days there... He made an amazing butterfly sculpture for me for my third anniversary as a designer at Hallmark.
russ richter
firstname.lastname@example.com- Donna Schwartz12:40 PM
I have 6 prints of R G Schneeberg in my possession. They are the most delightful prints. I have two prints pertaining to ships & the other four are scenes of home life. Also, I beleive these prints each have a very small cat. While looking these prints over, I discovered a cat & hence found a cat in each one. I love these prints. Each are 8 X 11.
ReplyDelete - Anonymous8:12 PM
I worked with Bob at Hallmark in the late 70s. I would sculpt small objects for him if there was something he needed (like a small dove, or belt buckle). I came across one of his works at an estate sale and found it a good home just yesterday! So I did a search and came across this post. Great to read all the comments. He was a nice guy.


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This weekend is our 12th wedding anniversary. As a gift, Doreen offered me car support on the hors categorie climb of my choice – bum pushes, water bottle service, photographer, etc. And she even chalked messages all over the road for me.
A really fun day. Col du Glandon is a favourite of mine. Especially the last 2 crazy kilometres (see photo above).
I was truly spoiled today, with all of Doreen's support. Psychologically not having to carry two full bottles (along with the guy a couple of hundreds metres behind me) meant that I worked very hard.
Doreen snapped photos and cheered me on the whole way …. and she kept surprising me with chalked messages (it's my college nickname):
After Glandon, it's just two and a half easy kilometres up to Col de la Croix de Fer – and the end of a fun uphill time trial.


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A GPS that can choose the most energy-efficient route?
Electric vehicle owners hoping to maximize their cars' driving range, take note: researchers at the University of California - Riverside are working on a GPS-based route system that could allow EVs to drive at least 10 percent farther on a single charge.
The researchers, who hail from UC Riverside's Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), were awarded a grant for $95,000 from the California Energy Commission to develop an eco-routing algorithm that can select the most energy-efficient travel route based on traffic, weather, road type and grade, and passenger and cargo weight.
Thus far, we've seen GPS systems that can map the best route based on distance, approximate travel time, and some can even account for traffic flow in making those determinations. But so far, GPS systems have not taken vehicle emissions or energy efficiency into account when determining the best routes.
The algorithm's developers are optimistic that this capability would be particularly beneficial to electric vehicle owners, and those afflicted with "range anxiety".
It may take some time before we will see GPS systems with efficiency calculators hit the market. But the development could make a great deal of difference to the owners of electric vehicles, whose range can fluctuate significantly based on road, traffic, and weather conditions (the EPA estimates that the Nissan Leaf's range can vary from 47 to 138 miles per charge depending on such factors). So even a 10 percent increase in range could make a difference to EV drivers running on a low battery charge on their way home from work.
Photo: Flickr/David Fulmer
via [Forbes]
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com


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Wired's Threat Level takes us on a photo tour of the Defcon Network Operations Center, giving a unique behind-the-scenes perspective of one of the largest computer security conventions. The Defcon Network Operations Center is run by a volunteer group named the "Goons". They keep operations running smoothly and securely with both high and low-tech resources, like a Cisco fiber switch and an armed guard, to protect the router and firewall.
5 thoughts on "Defcon 16: Glimpses Of The Network Operations Center"
Best PSA message ever…
"We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for this year's network security … Cisco… and Smith and Wesson…"
Not only so not a hack in any way, but this was on digg two days ago. So basically digg is mostly mybabyman reposting reddit stories and now hackaday is Kimberly reposting digg stories?
So this is now third generation "not a damned hack".
I love the simplicity of their setup. Totally awesome how solid it is on how little hardware. Awesome convention coverage guys!
ahh, good to see some supermicro kit peeking out there!
NZers who are looking to buy similarly specced systems could do worse than to buy them from where I do: unleash.co.nz
This is an epic article, I will be adding your blog to my list.
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Looking for a good mystery? We've got you covered!
Besides having one of the best website names ever, Stop, You're Killing Me! is the best place to go if you're a fan of mystery, crime, suspense, thriller and spy novels. Indexing the works of over 3.500 authors, you'll find lists of books set in specific locations, during historical time periods, by diversity (for instance, Native Americans or Gypsies or Disabled detectives), by job title (such as wedding planners or pet sitters) and genres (vampires anyone?) New titles are listed each month, including new Large Print and new Audio Books. And there are extensive lists of mystery book award nominees and winners.
This site is fairly minimal – no fancy graphics or distracting ads. Titles are linked to amazon.com for further information (and where you can find a picture of the book cover), but this is mostly a presentation of lists, brief descriptions and links. It's up to you to uncover your next favorite mystery – and with these tools, it should be an open and shut case!